Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

Toons tell the top stories of 2019 ⁠— with a dash of sarcasm

Across Indian states, citizens are being picked up by the police for unguarded comments on social media, and the arbitrariness of these arrests has created a climate of anxiety. In most cases to hit the news, those charged have been ordinary people, without the clout to incite mass violence. On November 2 2017, Meerut-based journalist <keyword id="5998011" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="afghan-soni">Afghan Soni</keyword> was charged with defamation and "computer-related offences" (Section 66 of the IT Act) for posting a "derogatory" video of <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> asking a rally about " achhe din ", and getting his response not from a crowd of people, but a herd of goats. Social media arrests are not new, and nor are they a uniquely Indian form of repression. The UPA-era Section 66A of the IT Act, scrapped by the <keyword id="6354977" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Supreme-Court">Supreme Court</keyword> in 2015, was broadly worded enough to book you if you caused annoyance, inconvenience, insult or injury online. In 2012 and 2013, a girl from Palghar, Maharashtra was arrested for criticising <keyword id="6371377" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bal-Thackeray">Bal Thackeray</keyword>'s state funeral on <keyword id="6354576" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Facebook">Facebook</keyword>, another girl for merely "liking" that comment; a professor from <keyword id="6354925" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kolkata">Kolkata</keyword> was arrested for forwarding a cartoon about Mamata Banerjee; as was a man who tweeted about <keyword id="497730" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Karthi-Chidambaram">Karthi Chidambaram</keyword>'s disproportionate wealth. But now, even though Section 66A is gone, the muzzling of speech continues unabated. India, like every other country in the world, places reasonable fetters on free expression. These include a threat to public order, dangerously stirring up religious sensitivities, caste slurs, defamation, child pornography, and so on. Other sections of the IT Act, including clauses on obscenity and morphing, are being used to arrest people like in the case of morphing of images, which may be a concern when women are misrepresented, but by itself, a morphed image in a political caricature or piece of satire is not an illegal or criminal act. Similarly, lying and cussing are human activities that also exist online; they do not inherently deserve criminal sanction. Even rumours are not illegal by themselves, the CrPC should kick in only in instances where they might incite violence or have other criminal implications. WhatsApp is where these tensions are strongest. Given that the technology can be used to make trouble on a wide scale, the police has good reason to keep an eye on the platform. But increasingly, WhatsApp administrators have been booked even for harmless remarks. There's a trend of using Section 144 of the CrPC, which applies to unlawful assemblies, to WhatsApp discussions. Curious are the cases of Indore collector who invoked it to deter any conversation about demonetisation, or the Varanasi DM who said that any false content on a WhatsApp group which were treated grounds for arrest. These arrests create a chilling effect on speech and the likelihood of someone, somewhere, taking legal action constrains you to watch your words more than necessary. Rather than a lively, democratic public sphere, we could end up with the hushed, wary conversations of a police state.

A WhatsApp message could get you arrested in India

<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=amul&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Amul’s</a> cheeky print ads need no introduction, do they? 
 
Time and again, they have delivered hilarious takes and digs on politicians, topical controversies or moments of joy. 
 
And, while it’s difficult to choose among all of these brilliant cartoons they’ve done in the past, it’s safe to say that their latest cartoon on the controversy surrounding politician <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=SUBRAMANIAN+SWAMY&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Subramanian Swamy’s</a> comments on <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=RBI&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">RBI</a> Governor <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=RAGHURAM+RAJAN&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Raghuram Rajan </a>takes the cake! 
 
Though, they’ve tried playing it safe, one can very well assume which side they are on. We especially like 'second helping please!' 
 
This is what the ad looks like- 
 
 
 It all started when on May 12, BJP’s <keyword id="6370187" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Subramanian-Swamy">Subramanian Swamy</keyword> slammed the <keyword id="64190" type="POSITION" weightage="100" keywordseo="RBI-Governor">RBI Governor</keyword> for his decision to increase rates. 
 
"I don't think he is fit for the country. His decision to increase interest rates to reduce inflation and stabilise the economy has backfired and badly affected the nation. All the industries have collapsed and as a result unemployment has increased," Swamy had said, adding that Rajan should be sent back to Chicago at the earliest. 
 Swamy even wrote to the Indian Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> asking for the immediate sacking of the <keyword id="30067" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="RBI">RBI</keyword> Governor, alleging that is ‘mentally not fully Indian’ and has wrecked the economy. 
 
His comments naturally caused a lot of debate and speculations are rife on whether Rajan will be given a second term after his first term comes to an end on September.

Amul’s latest ad about RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan is perfect

It is a known fact that our country is governed by politicians who are comedians in disguise. From making every Indian laugh at their utterly false promises to disrupting the Parliament day after day and being involved in scams of massive proportions, our politicians are guilty of indulging in them all. 
 
While they might not excel at what they’ve been elected to do (no surprises there), we can’t help but admit that our politicians do have some hidden talents. Unfortunately, they are unable to hone these talents due to the immense burden of governing a country on their shoulders. (also alternatively known as the burden of enforcing a ban on everything we’ve ever loved and cared for) 
 
To make things easier for our beloved politicians in case they ever decide to take a leap from the world of politics, also known as the world of looting the taxpayer’s money, Business Insider draws up a list of alternate career suggestions for eight ministers depending on what their skill sets are. 
 
 
 
1. <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Modis-Letter-to-the-Nation-This-is-just-the-beginning-we-will-build-India-of-your-dreams/articleshow/47427670.cms">Narendra Modi</a> may have been entrusted with the duty of being the Prime Minister of India, the biggest democracy in the world, but the one job his majesty is tailor-made for is that of a ‘Travel blogger’. During his tenure as PM, Modi has visited more countries than the number of successful sessions the Parliament has witnessed, and if that’s not a big achievement, I don’t know what is. In his is future travel blog titled ‘How to take selfies while traveling around the world in 80 days,’ Modi could write about his experiences in every country he’s visited till date, while the readers could rate the selfie accompanying the post. Majama! 
 
 
 
2. <keyword id="5268" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Rahul-Gandhi">Rahul Gandhi</keyword> 
The Congress Vice President possesses a face which looks perennially confused and not being able to figure why things never work out in his favour adds to his woes. 
Maybe, that is why we think he’ll blend in perfectly as one of the cast-members in the next sequel of Golmaal. Let’s observe a one minute silence and pray that in his new job as a confused cast-member, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/This-is-how-Twitterati-welcomed-Rahul-Baba/articleshow/47189672.cms">Rahul baba</a> wouldn’t have to take advice from a cheat-sheet or Mommy Gandhi. 
 
 
 
3. <keyword id="260213" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Arvind-Kejriwal">Arvind Kejriwal</keyword> 
Of late, Delhi Chief Minister <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Kejriwal-Has-The-Last-Laugh-With-Arnub/articleshow/46183707.cms">Arvind Kejriwal’s</a> Twitter timeline has started bearing resemblance to that of Mihir Fadnavis’ timeline. Turns out, Kejriwal is a closet movie-buff. Apart from raking up electricity bills in lakhs, Arvind Kejriwal’s other talent lies in critiquing movies. He’s done every cinegoer a favour by taking his unofficial career as a ‘Film critic’ sincerely and telling us in advance which movies we should watch and which we shouldn’t. Delhi’s problems can wait as long as he guarantees that Masaan, Drishyam and PK are a ‘must-watch.’ 
 
 
 
4. Jayalalithaa 
Despite being convicted in the Rs 66.65 crore disproportionate assets case and the court giving her a jail term of four years, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s stint in jail was shorter than <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Actors-you-wouldnt-believe-were-pornstars/articleshow/48202122.cms">Sunny Leone’s</a> clothes and if that isn’t enough evidence for why she should immediately take up being a Con escape artist full time, what is? 
 
 
 
 
5. <keyword id="43868" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Mamata-Banerjee">Mamata Banerjee</keyword> 
If Mamata Banerjee wasn’t a politician or the Chief Minister (how we wish), she would’ve been a model. For cartoonists. 
It has been found that every single facial expression on Mamata’s face can be converted into a cartoon. There's also one round of whispers which claim that the day she decides to take up face modeling and spare the state of West Bengal, cartoonists all over the country will declare a holiday to celebrate getting a lifetime muse. 
 
 
 
6. Lalu Prasad Yadav 
“Jab tak rahega samose mein aloo, tab tak rahega Bihar me Lalu” 
This gem of a one-liner saw the light of the day only and only because of Lalu Prasad Yadav. While we were always aware of his funny bone, what sealed the deal for us was his <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/The-Imitation-Game-Lalu-mimics-Narendra-Modi-does-it-better-than-the-PM-himself/articleshow/48584660.cms?from=mdr">recent mimicry of Lord Make Fun Of Me Not, aka Narendra Modi.</a> We’re a country starved of humour and thus the need of the hour is to ensure Laluji leaves politics and follows his heart (and our laughs) to become a standup comedian. 
 
 
 
7. Smriti Irani 
The HRD Minister has received a lot of flak for her allegedly forged educational qualifications. While we’ll keep mum on whether the allegations against her or true or not, we'll go ahead and say that if there comes a time when she’s bored of making Sanskrit compulsory in Kendriya Vidyalayas mid-session, she could always try her hand at becoming a Dean in a University. But, is she qualified enough for the role? Guess we'll never know. 
 
 
 
8. <keyword id="6355521" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Amit-Shah">Amit Shah</keyword> 
The President of Bharatiya Janata Party Amit Shah is best known for his event management skills. Be it, the Gujarat riots, 2014 elections or the ‘weighty’ event of him being stuck in a Bihar lift, Shah has left no stone unturned to exercise his gleaming event management skills in every scenario and have us all fooled. Thus, if Shah is ever considering a switch, there would be no better field than Event Management. We even have a tagline suggestion- ‘Let us help in making your next event a riot.’ 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes

Eight politicians who should give these alternate careers a serious thought

New Delhi, Thirty-two children have been chosen for the <keyword id="8573721" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pradhan-Mantri-Bal-Puraskar">Pradhan Mantri Bal Puraskar</keyword> this year for displaying valour, exceptional abilities and outstanding <keyword id="1591586" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Accomplishments">accomplishments</keyword> in various fields, including arts, culture, archery and swimming. Jyoti Kumari, 16, cycled to her native place Darbhanga district in Bihar from Gurgaon in Haryana covering around 1,200 km with her father on the rear carrier amid the nationwide lockdown in May last year. She has been awarded for her <keyword id="55338" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bravery">bravery</keyword>. Her resilience had drawn praise from former US President Donald Trump's daughter and then senior White House adviser Ivanka Trump, who had termed it a "beautiful feat of endurance and love". "She might seem like any other girl of her age, but the courage and strength that she displayed by covering 1,200 kms on a bicycle, that too with her ailing father on the rear seat, cannot be described in words. "During the COVID-19 lockdown, she traversed 1,200 kms from Sikandarpur in Haryana to Darbhanga in Bihar to reach home," the citation issued for her by the Women and Child Development Ministry said. Mohammad Shadab, 17, won the award for his excellence in the field of scholastics. The son of a motor mechanic, Shadab from Aligarh district of Uttar Pradesh is an Indian Youth Ambassador to the US. "He won a scholarship of USD 28,000 from the United States Department of State for his brilliant mind and efforts to improve the world and topped his American high school," his citation said. Shadab has served over 200 community service hours and given more than 50 presentations to promote Indian culture and values. He also started his own non-profit (Girls, Say YES) to promote women's empowerment. The youngest awardee this year Kumari Prasiddhi Singh, a 7-year-old social volunteer from Chengalpattu district in Tamil Nadu. She has been awarded for her work in social work. "She is the founder of Prasiddhi Forest and has been in the India Book of Records for being the youngest fruit forest creator in the country. At a very young age, Prasiddhi created eight fruit forests in government schools and public places and planted over 9,000 trees to feed birds and squirrels and give fresh fruits to everyone," according to citation for here. Kumari Venish Keisham, 15, from Imphal West district of Manipur, won the award for her excellence in the field of Art and Culture. "She has won several competitions, including first position in the International Online Art Contest 2020 organised by Akm Kala Sangh, Pathankot, Punjab, India, second position in an international level Online Cartooning Competition organised by Art Affina in collaboration with Khalsa College of Education, Amritsar, and Renaissance Award in International Online Drawing Competition organised by Creative Canvas, 2020," according to the citation. Kameshwar Jagannath Waghmare, 14, from Nanded district of Maharashtra has been awarded for bravery. "His is a story of courage and promptness. He saved two out of three boys from drowning in Manar river. They had gone swimming but could not estimate the depth of the water. Without caring for his own life, Kameshwar jumped into the river and pulled out two boys elder to him. He risked his own life but managed to save two lives," his citation read. Fifteen-year-old Rakesh Krishna K, one of the winners of Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2021, has invented the novel multi-purpose seed-sowing machine called 'SEEDOGRAPHER'. "This innovative machine enables easy and fast sowing of seeds at fixed distances. It is eco-friendly and promotes a dry sowing and lane system that saves 50% water," according to the citation for the awardee. Archit Rahul Patil, 14, from Jalgaon district of Maharashtra has been given the award in the field of Innovation. He has developed a novel way to estimate the obstetric blood loss accurately. Savita Kumari, 16, from Ranchi district of Jharkhand has been awarded for excellence in the field of sports. "Coming from a humble background, with no special privileges, she has excelled in archery at every level. In 2018, she won a gold medal in the 3rd South Asian Archery Championship, Dhaka; a bronze medal in the 65th School Games Federation of India in 2020; and a silver medal in the 13th Jharkhand State Archery Championship in 2019. Girls like Savita are the pride of our nation," her citation states. Seven awards have been given in the field of art and culture, nine for innovation and five for scholastic achievements. Seven children have won in sports category, three felicitated for bravery and one has been honoured for her efforts in the field of social service. The Government of India has been conferring the Bal Shakti Puraskar under the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar to children with exceptional abilities and outstanding achievements in the field of innovation, sports, arts and culture, social service, scholastic field, and bravery. Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with the award winners on Monday. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/new-realme-stores-in-india-and-ceo-says-there-is-plan-for-new-devices/articleshow/80443801.cms">EXCLUSIVE: Realme plans to open 500 new stores in 2021⁠— the CEO reveals the company will go beyond smartphones in the 5G era</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/amplify-ai-the-conversational-ai-startup-founded-by-two-south-asians-has-scored-big-with-brands-and-governments/articleshow/80443958.cms">From Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' win to the Modi government's COVID-19 reach out⁠— a startup founded by two South Asians has scored big with brands and governments</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/tcs-surpasses-accenture-to-become-the-worlds-largest-it-company-by-market-value-for-a-short-time/articleshow/80446014.cms">TCS briefly beats Accenture to become the world's largest IT company</a>

Pradhan Mantri Bal Puraskar to be awarded to 32 children on Republic Day

The din in Indian <keyword id="6354777" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Media">media</keyword> has escalated tonight. Social media is abuzz; most television channels are debating a law enacted by the British – under Thomas Macaulay in 1870s—that allows for imprisonment for “words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the <keyword id="26362" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Government">government</keyword>". In recent years that law has been used by the police to apprehend people for <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Facebook-like-case-No-evidence-of-sedition-govt-tells-HC/articleshow/18254753.cms">liking “a Facebook post</a>, <a href="http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/sedition-charge-against-digvijay-over-remark-against-ramdev/799912/">criticising a yoga guru</a>, <a href="http://www.ndtv.com/meerut-news/sedition-charges-for-students-who-cheered-pakistan-unacceptably-harsh-omar-abdullah-553012">cheering a rival cricket team</a>, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-19540565">drawing cartoons</a>, <a href="http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/kashmir-university-lecturer-released/1/125303.html">asking a provocative question</a> in a university exam, or <a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/kerala-court-denies-bail-to-youth-who-didnt-stand-up-during-national-anthem/">not standing up in a cinema when the national anthem is being played</a>,” as <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-37182206">reported</a> by the BBC in 2016. The latest use of the colonial law was the Delhi police that booked <keyword id="3048656" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kanhaiya-Kumar">Kanhaiya Kumar</keyword>, a former president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (<keyword id="6356383" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="JNU">JNU</keyword>) students’ union, and some of his associates from the same institution, for raising “anti India” slogans during a gathering. The incident in question occurred three years ago when a bunch of students from JNU were staging a protest against the death penalty handed to <keyword id="43716" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Afzal-Guru">Afzal Guru</keyword>, a militant held to be a terrorist by the country’s top court after it held him guilty for a gun attack outside the Indian Parliament in 2001. The students in the spotlight today were arrested in 2015, soon after the incident, but the court let them out on bail while the investigation carried on. News reports alleged that charges against Kumar and others were based on a doctored video, a charge that the Delhi police has ruled out with its move today. The incident shot Kumar—who is aligned with a left-wing outfit-- to fame and gave him political stage to voice his views to a larger audience. He is a staunch critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his government and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The country’s polarized media has positioned itself with or against Kumar based on their ideological positions and the topic is hogging prime-time debates. The politics aside, the provision to arrest a person for <keyword id="6364658" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="sedition">sedition</keyword> is a law that has criticized at the highest levels in <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> for over five decades now. When the British used the law as a tool to suppress rebellion in India, Mahatma Gandhi, who was charged with sedition, famously said the law was "designed to suppress the liberty of the citizen". In 1951, the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru described the law as "highly objectionable and obnoxious". In 1962, the Supreme Court imposed limits on the use of the law, making incitement to violence a necessary condition. The law itself put to a review as late as last year but the enforcement agencies have been keen time and again to use an archaic law to put down any kind of dissent. It’s 2019 and no political party in the country has made any real difference by doing away with a law that has repeatedly been used to stifle political opposition, despicably at times.

You Searched For "Narendra Modi Cartoon" and got 6 results

Toons tell the top stories of 2019 ⁠— with a dash of sarcasm

Sriram Iyer

A WhatsApp message could get you arrested in India

BI India Bureau

Amul’s latest ad about RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan is perfect

Poulomi Das

Eight politicians who should give these alternate careers a serious thought

Poulomi Das

Pradhan Mantri Bal Puraskar to be awarded to 32 children on Republic Day

PTI

What is sedition in India and why is it a hot topic of debate?

Sriram Iyer

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides